In August, the Seneca Park Zoo Society is partnering with photographer David Liittschwager and many local and regional organizations to assess the biodiversity and health of the Genesee River through an initiative called One Cubic Foot.

Once declared one of the United States’ most polluted rivers, the Genesee is making a comeback. By providing invaluable scientific information and baseline data regarding the plant and animal species now living the in the Genesee, One Cubic Foot heightens awareness of water quality and other environmental issues in the river.

David Liittschwager and his team will photograph every species that enters a one cubic foot frame placed in the river during a 24-hour period, creating individual portraits of the plant life and creatures that inhabit one tiny piece of the world.

Each spring I make a visit to London, my favorite city in the world and the one in which I spent 13 happy years. My two weeks there are filled with catching up with friends (many of whom are making wonderful things happen in the theatre world), seeing some fantastic shows, eating at my favorite restaurants and visiting exhibitions at some of the many galleries for which the city is renowned.

I have to admit (shamefully) that until this year, I had not been in the Tate Modern since it opened back in 2000. It is one of the most impressive examples of structural repurposing (it was the former Bankside Power Station from 1952-1981) and now houses the country’s impressive collection of contemporary art from 1900 onward in large, airy rooms over seven floors. Beyond the awe-inspiring Turbine Hall, Hirst and Lichtenstein collide; Picasso and Emin mingle with Warhol; and Kandinsky and Ofili go head-to-head.

On this day, I made my way from St. Paul’s across the “Wobbly Bridge” to the Tate to be immersed in a series of Rothko paintings originally commissioned for the Four Seasons Restaurant at New York’s Seagram’s Building in the late 1950s and which now reside permanently here. These paintings and their creation are at the center of John Logan’s RED, which Geva will be presenting in October.

Lemur expert Dr. Patricia Wright has had a strong partnership with Seneca Park Zoo for more than 15 years. The relationship began when she approached the Zoo about making a film about conservation. Dr. Jeff Wyatt, the Zoo’s Director of Animal Health and Conservation, gave her a tour of the Zoo and shortly thereafter, a partnership was formed. Soon, Dr. Wyatt was helping Dr. Wright and hergraduate students capture sifaka lemurs in Madagascar, giving them medical check-ups and identification collars. It wasn’t long after that Dr. Wright began to work with the Zoo Society’s docent volunteers to raise funds for conservation and education in Madagascar. It was through this partnership that Party Madagascar was born. And the rest, they say, is history.

Recently, Dr. Wright talked with us about her passion for lemurs, her respect for the Zoo’s work and what people can do to help for the summer issue of ZooNooz. With Party Madagascarhappening tomorrow, July 25, we thought we’d share the conversation again.

Do you have a favorite toy that deserves to join the likes of Tonka Trucks, Monopoly, Slinky, Rubik’s Cube, and other classic playthings enshrined in The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame? Toy lovers everywhere are urged to voice their choices for induction this coming November. Submissions for nominations must be received by the museum by Friday, July 31. Nominations can be made online or mailed to: The Strong, One Manhattan Square, Rochester, NY 14607. On Thursday, November 5, the National Toy Hall of Fame will reveal the identity of the newest toy inductees, and the induction will be followed by a weekend celebration Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8.

The National Toy Hall of Fame recognizes toys that have engaged and delighted multiple generations, inspiring them to learn, create, and discover through play. Criteria for induction include: Icon-status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered); Longevity (the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations); Discovery (the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play); and Innovation (the toy profoundly changed play or toy design). A toy may be inducted on the basis of innovation without necessarily having met all of the first three.

To celebrate WXXI Rochester Public Radio‘s “Summer Book Week,” BOA Editions was invited to the “Connections” show with guest host Scott Fybush and two other Rochester-based independent publishers, Open Letter Books and RIT Press, to discuss the current and future states of book publishing.

In a fascinating hour-long discussion on the literary scene in Rochester, as well as the importance of mission-driven independent publishing, BOA Publisher Peter Conners had some fun things to say about Rochester as a city of readers:

“Rochester is really a sexy city in a lot of ways because people who read are sexy,” he says. “They’re interesting, they have things to say … If you really want to be sexy, if you really want to be interesting, take an hour less at the gym and go read a book.”

At this year’s Turtle Hill Folk Festival at the Rotary Sunshine Campus, September 11–13, Golden Link will be welcoming guest musicians from around the country, including John McCutcheon, John Kirk & Trish Miller, Dana & Susan Robinson, Hey Mavis, and Maria Gillard. Some are familiar faces in Rochester while others may be new discoveries, such as the Kent, Ohio-based band Hey Mavis, who wowed audiences at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and George Eastman House Garden Vibes concerts.

In addition to the evening concerts, there will be participatory workshops and mini-concerts during the day, late-night fireplace singarounds, a Saturday afternoon contra dance with Kirk & Miller, and many informal opportunities to sing and play music together. Free “field” camping is available, or stay in a heated cabin for a small fee. The daytime schedule is still in the works, but you can visit www.goldenlink.org for festival details and click here to purchase advance tickets.

For 24 years, Ganondagan’s signature Native American Dance & Music Festivalhas brought together Native performers, artisans, cultural interpreters and the public to share the vibrant living culture and traditions of the original Seneca and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people who first inhabited this area nearly four centuries ago. If you think this is a culture only of the past, it’s time to head out to Ganondagan this weekend and learn a different story.

This year’s festival, July 25-26, (10 am-6 pm) brings an eclectic Native American musical mix. In the performance tent, Keith Secola (backed by a local trio) rocks out, joined by flashy hoop dancers, and the California ultimate Native Blues Duo Twice as Good makes its Ganondagan debut. We’re thrilled to bring in young, up-and-coming local Native performers to open both sets.

Water is the foundation of all life and it needs to be protected. This Saturday, July 18, join us at the Zoo as we explore the Wonders of Water and the many ways animals such as toads, river otters, lake sturgeon and African penguins rely on this vital resource.

And beginning Sunday, July 19, we’ll be CelebratingNational Zoo Keeper Week with keeper meet and greets and behind-the-scenes talks on what it takes for our dedicated staff to do the jobs they love.

For The Bookshelf, NHPR’s series on authors and books with ties to the Granite State, All Things Considered host Peter Biello interviewed McLean on elements of her new book, her personal inspirations, and her life before becoming an award-winning author, comparing her distinctive voice to that of Flannery O’Connor. First a lawyer and then a potter for 15 years in the woods of Alaska, McLean discusses how both crafts led her to, and now shape, her writing.

“The thing about the law is, the precision of language is very important,” says McLean. “What courts argue about a lot of the time is the meaning of a line, the meaning of a sentence, the meaning of a clause. I’m sure that it made me very aware of ambiguity in language, and I really love to play with ambiguity. . . . And then with pottery: you have to make a pot and you repeat over and over and over again a shape. . . . You definitely learn through long stretches of time and enormous amounts of error and failure and success and things falling on the ground, and you just learn to keep going and keep trying and that style and technique changes with time and repetition, and that is definitely the case with writing.”

The Zoo loves its members. One of the ways we show our appreciation is by hosting Member Mornings as part of Summer Programs, Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Member Mornings happen every day during the summer at 9:30 a.m., half an hour before the Front Gate opens to the public. During this exclusive meet-up, members will experience a different activity, tour, animal encounter or other exciting opportunity to connect with your Zoo.

So far this summer, visitors at Member Mornings have enjoyed a tour of the animal hospital, meeting some of the animals in our education collection as they enter the Zoo–and much more. Unique experiences such as these are yet another reason Zoo membership is the wildest value in town!